What Is Gallbladder Cancer?
Cancer starts when cells in the body start to grow out of control. Cells in nearly any part of the body can become cancer, and can spread to other parts. To learn more about how cancers start and spread, see What Is Cancer?

Gallbladder cancer starts in the gallbladder. To understand this cancer, it helps to know about the gallbladder and what it does.

About the gallbladder
The gallbladder is a small, pear-shaped organ under the liver. Both the liver and the gallbladder are behind the right lower ribs. In adults, the gallbladder is usually about 3 to 4 inches long and normally no wider than an inch.


color illustration of the digestive system which shows the location of the esophagus, stomach, pancreas, rectum, colon, small intestine, gallbladder and liver
The gallbladder concentrates and stores bile, a fluid made in the liver. Bile helps digest the fats in foods as they pass through the small intestine. Bile is made by the liver and is either sent into ducts that carry it to the small intestine, or stored in the gallbladder and released later.

When food (especially fatty food) is being digested, the gallbladder squeezes and sends bile through a small tube called the cystic duct. The cystic duct joins up with the common hepatic duct (which comes from the liver) to form the common bile duct. The common bile duct joins with the main duct from the pancreas (the pancreatic duct) to empty into the first part of the small intestine (the duodenum) at the ampulla of Vater.


illustration showing the location of the common bile duct, liver, pancreas, pancreatic duct, ampula of vater, duodenum, gallbladder, cystic duct, right hepatic duct, left hepatic duct and common hepatic duct
The gallbladder helps digest food, but you don't need it to live. Many people have their gallbladders removed and go on to live normal lives.

Types of gallbladder cancers
Gallbladder cancers rare and nearly all of them are adenocarcinomas. An adenocarcinoma is a cancer that starts in gland-like cells that line many surfaces of the body, including the inside the digestive system.

Papillary adenocarcinoma or just papillary cancer is a rare type of gallbladder adenocarcinoma that deserves special mention. The cells in these gallbladder cancers are arranged in finger-like projections. In general, papillary cancers are less likely to spread into the liver or nearby lymph nodes. They tend to have a better prognosis (outlook) than most other kinds of gallbladder adenocarcinomas.

Other types of cancer can start in the gallbladder, such as adenosquamous carcinomas, squamous cell carcinomas, and carcinosarcomas, but these are very rare.

Launching The Era Of Digital Health In Nigeria. App connecting patients to doctors in Nigeria #vkare
The gallbladder is a small, pear-shaped organ found on the right side of the abdomen, just underneath the liver. The gallbladder is responsible for the storage of the digestive fluid known as bile, which is produced by the liver. A gallbladder has three layers – the innermost layer, the middle layer (muscular), and the outermost layer (serosal). Gallbladder cancer is an irregular growth of cells that originates in the gallbladder. Gallbladder cancer is very uncommon, one of the rarest. When diagnosed at an early stage, the chances of curing gallbladder cancer are very good. Unfortunately, most gallbladder cancer cases are discovered in the late stages, when the prognosis is usually very poor. Gallbladder cancer goes unnoticed until it has advanced because it does not have specific signs or symptoms. Likewise, the hidden nature of the gallbladder makes it easier for gallbladder cancer to grow without being noticed. The cost of Gallbladder Cancer Treatment in India depends on the stage of cancer which varies from USD 6000 to USD 8000. Both surgical and nonsurgical treatments are available for Gallbladder Cancer. After complete analysis, doctor recommends the right treatment depending on stage and severity of the disease. Surgery to remove the gallbladder and some of the tissue around it. Part of the liver and nearby lymph nodes may also be removed. Stages of gallbladder cancer To determine the extent of spreading, numbers (0 through IV) are assigned to the diagnosis. The process is called gallbladder staging. The gallbladder staging are:
Stage 0 (known also as carcinoma in situ): This stage is limited to the mucosal (the innermost) layer of a gallbladder.
Stage I: In this stage, cancer has spread to the connective tissue or the muscularis layer.
Stage II: In this stage, the cancer has moved beyond the visceral peritoneum (the tissue that covers the gallbladder) to the liver, and/or another nearby organs, like the stomach, small intestine, pancreas, bile ducts, connective tissue or adjacent lymph nodes.
Stage III: In this stage, the cancer has spread to the liver or the organs near it, and perchance to the lymph nodes.
Stage IV: In this stage, the cancer has reached the adjacent lymph nodes, and/or organs located far from the gallbladder.

Gallbladder diagnosis To diagnose gallbladder cancer, stage and plan its treatment the following analysis may be required:
Blood tests (Liver function tests to be precise): This shows how well the liver, gallbladder, and bile ducts are functioning. It also gives clues about what could be causing the symptoms.
Ultrasound testing: Images of the gallbladder and the liver are generated from sound waves for physical assessment.
CT scan.
MRI scan.
Percutaneous Trans-hepatic cholangiography (PTC), an X-ray imaging.
Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP).
Biopsy.

Causes
The exact cause of gallbladder cancer is yet unknown. However, like other cancers, what we do know is an error (known as a mutation) in a person’s DNA leads to an uncontrolled rapid growth of cells.

As the number of cells proliferates (that is, multiplies), a mass or tumour forms. If left untreated, these cells in the long run spread into nearby tissues, and to distant parts of the body.

It is found that gallbladder cancer forms when healthy gallbladder cells develop changes (mutations) in their DNA. These mutations cause cells to grow out of control and to continue living when other cells would normally die. The accumulating cells form a tumor that can grow beyond the gallbladder and spread to other areas of the body.

#gallbladdercancer #gallbladdercancersymptoms #gallbladdercancertreatment #gallbladdercancer #gallbladder #gallbladdersymptoms #cancer #gallbladdercancersurgery #gallbladdercancerinhindi #gallbladdercancerdiagnosis #gallbladdercancersymptoms #signsandsymptomsofgallbladdercancer #gallbladdercancertreatment #gallbladderstonesymptoms #gallbladdercancercauses #gallbladdercancersymptomsinhindi #bladdercancer #porcelaingallbladder



❗DISCLAIMER: THIS SITE DOES NOT PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE OR OPINION:
The information provided in this article or website by way of text, illustration, graphics, Images or any other form in this article or website is provided for informational purposes only. No information or material provided on this site is meant to be a substitute for a professional medical advice. Please refer to your family doctor or specialist in that field for any medical condition, diagnosis and treatment.

Patient experience after major surgery

Shahid Akhter, editor, ETHealthworld, spoke to Dr. Shyam Aggarwal, Senior Consultant & HOD, Medical Oncology, Sir Ganga Ram hospital, New Delhi, to know more about the advancements in the management of bladder cancer.